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Spicy Alfredo Pasta
Spicy Alfredo Pasta is a quick and easy dinner recipe! This comes together in 20 minutes or less!
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Spicy Alfredo Pasta

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Spicy Alfredo Pasta
Servings: 6 people
Author: Luke Brown

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fettuccine (or any pasta)
  • 4 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp each smoked paprika, salt, and pepper
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried parsley

Instructions

  • Heat a pot of water over high heat. Once boiling, cook 1 lb of pasta following the directions on the package. Be sure to reserve 2-3 tbsp of the pasta water. Once pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and set aside.
  • Heat a large pan over medium-low heat. Add butter, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic. Stir and let cook for about 1 minute.
  • Add heavy cream, milk, cayenne, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir well and let simmer for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Turn your heat down to low and slowly stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Add 2-3 tbsp of pasta water. Stir the Spicy Alfredo sauce well.
  • Add cooked pasta and stir until your pasta is well coated in Alfredo sauce. Top with dried parsley, Parmesan cheese, and more red pepper flakes! Enjoy!

Notes

See my Frequently Asked Questions sections for more tips! 
  • It's important to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese for this recipe! The pre-shredded or shaker style Parmesan cheese use anti-caking ingredients that may cause your Alfredo to clump together. I buy a large block of Parmesan cheese from Sam's club and always grate my own!
  • Be sure to turn the heat down to low when adding your Parmesan cheese. This will help your sauce turn out creamy. If your pan gets too hot it could cause the sauce to separate.
  • This Alfredo is spicy, but in my opinion not too spicy to still be able to enjoy the dinner! My kids like this recipe best when I use only 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper instead of 1/4 tsp. You can omit the cayenne or use less red pepper flakes if you don't want it as spicy.
  • If you don't find my Spicy Alfredo spicy enough, add more cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste!
  • Fettuccine, Angel Hair, Cellentani, Rotini, or Rigatoni would all be good options for pasta for this recipe! You can really use any pasta you have in your pantry.
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